6375 W. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146 | +1-702-6517324 | Obscure_whiteley
A great way to learn how science works
SciNight Contact
Chelsey McKenna
North Las Vegas, S221-E
NLVS221
(702) 651-4390 | Obscure_mckenna
What is It?
The SciNight Journal Club is an open forum in which students and faculty can meet to informally discuss primary scientific research articles.
During the Spring 2019 semester, the journal club will meet every other Thursdays at 7:30pm on the West Charleston campus in room H-301J (Charleston Campus Map) Campus map.
Format and Categories
Each SciNight session the article to be discussed will be posted on this website below. Download the article, read it, and come ready to discuss what you have learned with your fellow students and various faculty.
The articles will come from different disciplines within the sciences to address a variety of research interests here at CSN. The general topic of each session will be one of the following:
Biological Sciences
First Meeting of the Month
Physical Sciences
Second Meeting of the Month
Spring 2019 Schedule
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| Jan 31 | Biological Science |
| Feb 14 | Physical Science |
| Feb 28 | Biological Science |
| Mar 14 | Physical Science |
| Mar 28 | Biological Science |
| Apr 11 | Physical Science |
| Apr 25 | Biological Science |
| May 9 | Physical Science |
Upcoming Journal Articles
Current Article:
May 9
C-type asteroids are rich in organic compounds, including many of the precursors of life. Four and a half years ago the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, launched the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft to the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu. Its extremely complex mission: Travel to the asteroid. Obit and map it. Deploy four rovers. Land. Fire a projectile to collect a sample of surface material that's been exposed to space. Take off. Deploy a shaped-charge explosive to bore a deep hole. Back away. Deploy a camera to watch the explosion. Back farther away, behind the asteroid to dodge debris. Fire the explosive. Return. Map the new hole. It's done all this! Next up: Land and collect pristine sub-surface material exposed by the explosion. Take off again. Return to Earth, leaving December of this year and reaching Earth December of next year. Deploy a sample-return capsule to enter Earth's atmosphere and land in Australia while the main spacecraft goes on to another asteroid. We'll be looking at three brief papers detailing what we've learned so far. There's a summary page, "Traveling to the origins of the Solar System," accompanying the papers.
January 31
Have you noticed an increasing trend of "science-denial" in our society? What do you do when your friend says "I don't believe in science."? Let's talk about science denialism and what we can do about it
Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond?
February 14
Where do Chemical Elements Come From?
We will use the power point file for our main discussion
Synthesis of the Elements in Stars Power Point
Attached also is the full article for optional reading
Synthesis of the Elements in Stars Optional Reading
February 28
Many people know of and try to avoid BPA in plastics, but is the replacement any better?
March 14
Where do stars come from, how do they work, and why does life depend on them? (It's more than just light and heat.)
Main discussion:
Optional Reading:
See Journal Article Archive below for articles from past semesters
March 28
Could the bacteria involved with gum disease also be causing Alzheimer's?
Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease brains
April 11
Where do planets come from, and do other stars have types of planets not found in our solar system?
Building Blocks of the Solar System
April 25
Our SEA-PHAGE students will present this weeks topic. We know viruses that attack bacteria (bacteriophages) are bad news for bacteria, but could they play a role in human immunity as well?